The
Smithsonian website of Brown v. Board of Education was full of components to
the build-up of and the actual event. I think they were trying to show how important
events that led up to this case were in building a foundation for a favoured
vote. They show how everything in the past is a basis and are connected to how
we live in the present and what will come in the future. Because of this, I
needed to do some background digging. So I searched Wikipedia.
Among
these key events were first the Civil War’s influence of passing the 14th
Amendment in 1868, which not only alludes to the 13th Amendment
which emancipated all slaves but states “No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” This means that all Americans are free and equal,
regardless of race. However we know that because of segregation, this didn’t begin
to look true until almost 100 years later with Brown v. Board of Education. Even
today as all of our texts ranging from McIntosh, Johnson, Delpit, August, etc.
point out, this amendment is not truly upheld.
The next key moment in history came with the
case of Plessy
v. Ferguson in 1896, which was about a man who was considered Black (he was
actually 7/8th’s White and 1/8’s Black) who was encouraged by the
Committee of Citizens to board a white railroad car. He was arrested and stated
the 14th amendment as his defence. Plessy lost the case as the
Supreme Court stated that the separation of races was public policy and that in
this defence it “stamps
the coloured race with a badge of inferiority.” Yes, I know, I’m fired up
too! The court said that
segregation made every one equal. But as we learn from the Smithsonian tour,
what transpired was actually more like separate and unequal.
Meanwhile behind the scenes after Plessy
v. Ferguson, Charles Houston gathered a group of budding lawyers to find a way
to prove that segregation laws (Jim Crow laws) were enforcing unequal treatment.
Houston decided after this case that the justices on the Supreme Court were not
going to overturn separation. When he passed the reigns over to Thurgood
Marshall in 1936, various other lawsuits on transportation, teaching salaries
and schools were filed in an attempt to prove their point. The time was ripe to
overturn segregation because American was questioning was being a Democracy
really meant which lead to a deeper focus on racial justices. Finally, in 1951,
with Brown v. Board of Education, he felt they had a strong case.
In the fall of 1951 parents of Topeka, Kansas,
encouraged by the NAACP, attempted to enroll their children in a closer school
to their home, which just happened to be a White school. When they were
refused, they filed suit against the education board of their city and put
Oliver L. Brown at the helm, who was trying to enroll his daughter. Not only
was the school closer but it was better. At the time states funded White
schools better than any other. Often books for the White schools, outdated and
replaced, were given to the Black, Mexican, Asian, etc. schools. These races
also had to fundraise through BBQ’s and dig into their own pockets in order to
raise money for their schools. They often built the schools and hired their own
teachers. I’d call that pretty unequal.
During
the case, people starting spreading the word of what was going on in their
world. Whites were either ignoring the problem or ignorant. Hoping that the
majority was doing the latter, they hung flags whenever a Black man was hung.
They were saying the words in order to spread consciousness. Allan Johnson said
“if we dispense with the words we make it impossible to talk about what’s
really going on and what it has to do with us” which is why it’s important to
keep the conversation going about what is happening in our country. The case
was won in favour of Brown in a unanimous vote. Most of us are familiar with
the Norman Rockwell’s (an artist most known for paintings of American life)
painting of the black girl being escorted by white U.S. Marshalls to school with
her book and school supplies in hand. The Smithsonian makes mention of this
picture because it depicts that even after a law is passed, how much opposition
it can still have. Something I hadn’t even recognized before was the smashed tomato
against the wall where the girl had just passed. Just appalling.
At
the end of the virtual high school level tour of the Smithsonian exhibit, the curators
along with a historian answer questions from students. I found these very
informative because they addressed how the case of Brown v. Board of Education has
influenced other minority disadvantages that came after. Almost like a full
circle gathering of historical context, showing how everything is influential
and connected. One student was told after their question how this case paved
the way for woman (workplace), disabled (ADA laws) and LGBQTV (marriage) individuals
of today. Alonzo Smith mentioned after a question was posed how Dr. Kenneth
Clark went into schools to test how students felt about race by using a Black
and a White skinned doll. This study proved how segregation affected
self-esteem in Black children and dislike of Blacks in White children and was a
key component in the case. Smith goes on to say that “you can’t make money
without good education and so your life chances are severely restricted.” This
reminds me of the Kozol article where the Mott Haven residents are faced with
the same vicious circle kind of situation.
Bob
Herbert addresses some of these same issues in his article Separate and Unequal. His focus is more on the idea of rich and
poor schools and how that usually relates to race. He points out that studies
have shown low-income students performing better in schools that were more advantaged.
In fact “studies have shown that it is not the race
of the students that is significant, but rather the improved all-around
environment of schools with better teachers.” These poorer students can keep up
with those who have more money, they just aren’t being given the opportunity to
because they are given less expectations and forced to attend a school with
lowered budgets. In order to change this throughout the country, there has to
be ethnic and racial as well as diverse income statuses of students’ integration
of schools. That way truly there is no child left behind in every sense of the
phrase and it becomes a program that actually works.
Tim
Wise takes these ideas a step further by pointing out that we may have overcome
our racism 1.0 but that we have graduated to racism 2.0. What he means by this
is that we may have a Black President so we could say that we aren’t racist but
that we actually are because it’s a certain kind of Black person who we accept;
one, who comes from a great educational background, is well versed and erudite.
He alludes to colour comfort idea as well but doesn’t come right out stating
that which none of us have really said-Barack Obama has light brown skin. Would
he have been elected if he was a darker shade? Would he have been elected if
sounded as hillbilly as George W. Bush? Wise says no because in order for
an ethnic person to break the glass ceiling, they have to be truly exceptional.”
As we saw yesterday at the Promising Practices conference during the panel and
as Wise says being
poor is not an excuse but it is a reason for why changes must take place in our
schools. Poor students must be given the tools in order to give them the opportunity
to not use their socioeconomic status as an excuse and that it is our
responsibility to do so.
Wise
wants us to be reminded that just because but an ethnic person may not present
themselves the same way Obama does, doesn’t mean they aren’t intelligent and
that by ignoring them, we are supressing someone who may have something to say.
We have to stop judging from the surface, just as Peggy McIntosh points out in
her article. Wise also points out a common theme in all three of these
presentations and articles which is that we must remember about how much work
still needs to be done and that it’s no good remaining in a denial state. We
must, as Johnston also mentions, say the words! We deny the problems at hand by
trying hard to be racist by being nice but remaining oblivious to our actions
and the actions of others. He points out that in 1962 most people didn’t think
there was a racism problem in our country. There clearly was but most were too
ignorant to recognize it.
The reason it is important to learn
about cases like Brown v. Board of Education is to see what changes can be
made. The reason it is important to explore the case and be reminded of it
fifty years later is to recognize the changes that still need to be made. This
is made clear by the Smithsonian exhibit, Bob Herbert and Tim Wise. Harry
Rubinstein sums this point up perfectly; “it’s not just about passing the law,
it requires more like on-going vigilance and participation.” This case affects
everyone in America because we are all diverse in different ways. We all must continue
to fight for equal rights by participating in the conversation and striving for
changes that truly make us all equal.
Questions For Class:
·
At
the conference yesterday, a hot point was Mayor Angel Taveras comment about how
being poor isn’t an excuse. These articles show us that it is the education
system and essential we as citizens, not as teachers, are making an excuse by
not addressing the reasons why poor students have trouble. These article show
point out ways we can change this like socioeconomic, ethnic and race mixed
classrooms but how do we actually make it happen?
Picture Links:
